The Storm
by Queen of Spiritual
Summary: Fred and the rest of Mystery Inc. are taking a trip to visit one of Fred's friends. There is a storm while they are staying. The storm looks to be worse, but how long will it take for the storm to stop?
1. Chapter 1

Note: LoveofVelma and I have talked about this story for a while, but now I decided to take over, since it isn't a cowrite anymore. Will update whenever I can. I hope you all enjoy this one, but feel free to read and review.

After filling up the Mystery Machine, Fred got back into the driver's seat. Everyone had jackets on, and the heat was hot enough to keep everyone warm. Shaggy found it hard to think of something to eat since the cold weather kept his mind off food. After it stopped raining, the gang saw it was now beginning to snow really hard.

The roads now began to start to make it icy enough for the Mystery Machine to slip on the ice. The gang had just solved their latest mystery, which involved ghosts as usual. At least the gang solved it. They stayed in a mansion with a billionaire and his wife. They did happen to think somebody was under one of their names to pretend they were somebody else and the ghosts wanted millions of money.

Fred silently hoped that nobody was hurt. After they drove away from the gas station, not once did Shaggy complain about being hungry. That isn't like Shag at all, Fred thought to himself. Velma was sitting in front with Fred and Daphne. Shaggy was too busy thinking of trying to come up with ideas to keep warm, but he had no ideas, which made him feel disappointed, and he never liked being disappointed, and he understood lots of people always felt disappointed every once in a while.

Fred and his friends had been on the road for most of the afternoon. He was getting tired, so they checked into the nearest hotel. Fred didn't want to drive in the ice anymore today, so it was a good idea to take a break unless it got too snowy tomorrow.

"Gang, let's take a break for the day."

"All right, Freddy. I'm freezing. Can we get to a hotel?" Shaggy asked.

"We're on our way. We're going to see if we can get a couple of rooms first. Hope the hotel isn't full."

"Hurry up, Fred. It feels like the Mystery Machine might make us in ice cubes," Daphne said.

"I agree with you, Daph," Shaggy said.

He didn't have a jacket on, so it was no wonder why he was cold. Daphne, Fred and Velma had their jackets on, so they had their winter jackets, and it had about two to three inches of snow already and it was starting to pile up. At least Fred had a good idea about stopping for the night. He's traveled in this kind of weather before, but if this was worse, no way are he and his friends going to go anywhere, even if they planned on going to visit a friend of his. He thought it was a good idea to stop and get in touch with his friend.

"Let's stop at the nearest hotel, gang. We can rest there until the snow stops."

Shaggy spoke up.

"Does anybody have a jacket lying around? I'm still cold."

"There should be one around there somewhere. Why don't you look in our suitcases and see if there are any?" Fred suggested.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Fred. Let me check."

Shaggy had the entire backseat to himself and Velma was sitting in front with Fred and Daphne. Scooby Doo, who was his best friend, stayed behind because he wasn't feeling too great to tag along on this trip.

Shaggy started unzipping Daphne's suitcase first. He didn't want to take all of the clothes out to look for a jacket, but he left the clothes in the right place until he found an extra jacket, but it was more of a woman's jacket. He zipped her bag up again and went to the next. There was no way he would look in his suitcase, but it was a good idea. So he did just that. Velma looked behind her.

"Shaggy, did you find one yet? You do look cold," Velma said.

"Not yet. Daphne, I saw you had a jacket in your suitcase."

"You can borrow it, Shaggy, but don't get it dirty," Daphne said.

"I don't plan to. But it's a woman's jacket."

"Shag, that's no big deal," Fred said as they heard Shaggy unzip his bag.

"Which bag are you looking through now?" Velma asked, still watching him.

"Mine."

Today, Velma, Fred and Daphne wore gloves in the Mystery Machine since it was cold inside the vehicle as well. Shaggy didn't want to put his gloves on yet. He figured that was a good idea to put them on when they got outside, and not into the car. But he did see that his friends had a good point about wearing gloves in the Mystery Machine, but he didn't feel like putting his on yet.

"Shaggy, do you want some more heat back there?"

"Please, Freddy."

Velma was still watching him.

"Shaggy, you look like you have goose bumps."

"Of course I do, Velma. Wouldn't you be too if you wore a short sleeve shirt all the time?"

"You have a good point," Velma agreed.

She watched as Shaggy zipped up his suitcase.

"Found one!"

"Now you don't need to search in our bags."

"I did think of searching in your and Velma's suitcases, but I decided not to, but I did forget I packed my jacket in my bag."

"At least you solved that problem on your own this time," Daphne said looking over her shoulder.

Both she and Velma watched as he put his old light red and white jacket. He even zipped it up.

"Don't you feel warmer now, Shag?"

"Of course, Daphne. I thought I left my jacket back home. But it was a good thing I double – checked."

"Fred, when are we getting to the closest hotel? It's still cold in here even with the heater on," Daphne told him.

"I don't know, but I think in a few miles."

"When we get there, would you mind if we find some food? I'm getting hungry, and with Scooby not here with us, it wouldn't be any fun sharing my food with him."

"We'll check on Scooby some other time, Shaggy. I'm sure he's doing fine," Fred told him.

"Good. I do miss my pal."

"We all do, Shaggy. Maybe next time he could be able to come along, depending on how he is."

"I hope he would get better soon. I had to sit back here all alone with no fur to keep me warm."

A few minutes later, they were in luck. Fred and his friends saw there was a hotel a block or two ahead.

"We're in luck, gang. Shaggy, why don't you come with me and the girls can wait in the car until we find a few rooms?"

"Good idea, Freddy. Velma and I aren't going anywhere."

That's what Shaggy did believe, but didn't bother saying anything. Shaggy zipped up his jacket once Fred slammed the driver's door of the Mystery Machine. He didn't want to put his hands in his pockets, so all he did was follow Fred into the hotel.

Fred's friend didn't have a spare room in his house, so that's why Fred and the gang couldn't stay at his place.

"Good afternoon, kids."

The hotel clerk was the one who spoke. Fred and Shaggy saw the hotel clerk was wearing a light tan shirt along with dark blue pants, but they couldn't tell what the man's socks or shoes were. In other words, boots because of all the snow. Fred and Shaggy guessed the hotel clerk was in his college years, but again they could be wrong. His nametag told them his name was Christopher.

"Good afternoon, Christopher. Do you happen to have any available rooms?" Fred asked.

"I do have a few of them open. How many of you are here?"

"Four. Our other friends are waiting by the car," Fred answered.

"All right."

Christopher gave them the hotel keys to their rooms.

"Christopher, I do have a question for you."

"What's that?"

"Do you happen to know the best restaurants are here?"

"We have several."

"Good. I was just checking to be sure."

Christopher watched as Shaggy and Fred walked out of the hotel doors and come back in a few minutes later, but he didn't pay much attention that they were members of Mystery Inc. He'll still think about that during their stay. He didn't see any sign of Scooby.

"You're Mystery Inc. Am I right?"

"We sure are. Daphne and Velma are waiting for Shaggy and I. Do you have any rooms available?" Fred asked.

"We have a few. Let me see what rooms you will be in."

Fred and Shaggy waited for another minute or so. Christopher told him what rooms, but they were on the second floor.

"Mind if I ask you something?"

"What's that, Christopher?" Fred asked.

"Where's Scooby?"

"Scooby couldn't make it. He wasn't feeling well to come along. He doesn't have much longer to live," Shaggy answered.

"That's too bad. Fred, here are the keys to your rooms."

"Thank you, Christopher. We'll be back."

Christopher watched Fred and Shaggy leave the lobby.

Shaggy followed Fred back to the Mystery Machine.

"Girls, we got a couple of rooms. Let's grab our luggage and head upstairs."

"What floor are we on?" Velma asked.

"Second," Shaggy answered.

After Shaggy walked out of the Mystery Machine, he already had his suitcase. Then he watched Velma, Daphne and Fred collect theirs. Fred then locked the Mystery Machine.

The four of them said not a word when they walked in. This time Christopher was busy, but all Fred and Shaggy did was wave. Christopher returned the wave back.

They found an elevator. Fred pushed the button and then let the girls in first, since it was always ladies first. After they stood in the elevator, the door automatically shut. Fred pushed the number two.

"Up we go," Shaggy said.

A few minutes later, they reached the second floor. There were a few other guests waiting when the gang walked out.

They followed Fred and Shaggy.

"We are room numbers 231 and 232. Girls, you can take room 231 and Shaggy and I will be in 232."

Daphne took the key from Fred and they went into their rooms.

"See you girls later."

"Okay, Freddy."

"We'll let the girls have some privacy," Fred told Shaggy.

"I happen to agree with you, Fred."

Then there was no conversation since. Fred and Shaggy unpacked their things. Already Shaggy was starting to feel lonely. Then Shaggy spoke up.

"Fred?"

"Yes, Shag?"

"I feel lonely without Scooby already. I won't have any fun without sharing food with him."

"You'll have plenty of time for that when we get back home."

"I know, but it's not the same without Scooby."

Fred didn't blame Shaggy, so all he could do was give Shaggy a pat on the back.


	2. Chapter 2

An hour or so later, Shaggy watched Fred call his friend. He and Fred listened to the phone ring for a couple of minutes.

Shaggy gave Fred a look, but Fred didn't pay much attention. All he did was wait for his friend to get on the telephone.

"Hello, Kyle. This is Fred Jones. My friends and I just arrived, but I thought it was a good idea to get a hold of you so I wouldn't forget later. How have you been?"

Shaggy couldn't catch any of the words Fred's friend was saying, but he didn't care either way. All Shaggy did was shake his head.

"Hi, Fred! So glad you made it safely. Would you and your friends like to come over for dinner tonight or are you all too tired from driving?"

"We can make it, Kyle. We can leave right away if that's not too late for you."

"You and your friends can come over any time. Just to warn you, we might be getting a blizzard starting tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Thanks for the warning, Kyle. See you shortly."

"I heard, Fred. Are we going to the girls' room and tell them we're leaving?"

"Of course we are, Shaggy. You look like you're freezing to death, even with that jacket on. Why don't you change into a long sleeve shirt and that will keep you warmer?"

"I think that's a good idea, Fred. Except for one problem."

"What?" Fred asked as he locked the hotel room door behind them.

"I forgot to pack my long sleeve shirts."

"Oh, brother. Maybe next time we go somewhere and it's cold as today, we can have Daphne help you organize your clothes."

"Very funny, Fred. You know how Daphne is when it comes to packing."

"Don't remind me, Shaggy," Fred said as they knocked on the girls' door.

Velma answered since Daphne was busy focusing on unpacking her suitcase.

"Hello, Fred and Shaggy. Why don't you two come in?" Velma asked.

"Thanks, Velma," Shaggy said.

"Shaggy, you look like you've been in the freezer with some ice cream."

"Very funny, Velma. I am cold, but I do see your point about ice cream. Let's go get one now."

"Is that why you guys came here just to get ice cream?" Velma asked.

"No," Fred answered.

"Why don't you tell us, Fred?"

Now Daphne was starting to give them her full attention.

"Well, I called my friend a few minutes ago to let him know we got here safely. He said it was okay if we go to his house immediately if we want to. He did give us a warning, though."

"What's that?" Velma asked.

Shaggy didn't hear what Kyle had told Fred about a blizzard coming.

"Kyle told me that we might get a blizzard either tonight or tomorrow morning, so if that's going to happen, we better leave now."

"A blizzard? Those are creepy," Shaggy told him.

"You always say that," Velma replied.

"Not that I can help it, Velma."

It was true Shaggy always got scared about every little thing. He stood next to Velma when Fred finished telling them about the blizzard that was about to happen.

"Shaggy, do you have any long sleeve shirts with you on this trip?" Velma asked.

"No. I told Fred that I left them behind."

"Next time, think about taking it along, no matter what the weather is."

"Sorry, Velma."

"I'm sure you're aware by now that you could catch a cold if you don't have anything else with you," Daphne reminded him.

"I know that, Daphne. You don't need to remind me about that. Catching colds is normal."

When he finished saying that, he, Velma and Shaggy walked out of the hotel room and watched Fred lock the door. They said not a word when they reached Kyle's house.

"Think there will be a mystery for us while we're here?" Velma asked.

"I doubt it, but you never know if one will pop up," Shaggy answered.

"Sorry I asked."

"You don't need to be sorry, Velma. You know how it is when you're around a coward like me."

Once Fred and his friends locked the Mystery Machine, they decided to walk fast because it was so cold outside.

"Oh, dear!"

"What's that, Daphne?" Velma asked.

"I think I forgot to bring along fresh clothes if we're going to be stuck here in this storm."

"Don't worry about it, Daphne. It isn't the end of the world," Fred told her.

"That's easy for you to say, Freddy. I bought some new clothes with matching socks along this trip. I'd hate it if they were lost in the hotel closet."

Velma rolled her eyes and Shaggy told himself he agreed with Velma about the rolling eyes bit. The four of them made it to the front door. Fred rang the doorbell.

Shaggy had never seen such a place like Kyle's in a while. He hoped to himself that Kyle didn't live in any haunted mansions or anything, but that was something he would have to find out. Kyle opened the door.

"Hi, Fred. Why don't you come on in?"

"Thank you, Kyle," Fred said once Kyle slammed the door behind them.

On the outside, Kyle's house was actually a mansion. Like Daphne, he didn't care too much about money, even if it meant he was rich.

Shaggy couldn't tell how many rooms this place had. He didn't seem to care or ask, so he kept that to himself. He started to cross his fingers so there wouldn't be any haunted mansions on this vacation he and his friends were staying.

"Would you and your friends like a seat, Fred?"

Shaggy and the girls saw Kyle was young, but older than Fred by a year and a half or so. Kyle was shorter than Fred, had black hair with hazel eyes. He was handsome, Daphne told herself.

"Kyle, these are my friends, Daphne Blake, Shaggy Rogers and Velma Dinkley."

"My pleasure to meet you all here tonight," Kyle said as he shook their hands.

When Kyle finished saying that, even he could tell Shaggy was feeling like ice cream.

"Say, Kyle, would it be all right if I make us some nice hot chocolate?" Shaggy asked.

"Sure, help yourself."

Shaggy hadn't been in this mansion very long, so he had no trouble finding the kitchen. This was something he was good at, of course.

"How much snow do you think we will have, Kyle?" Fred asked.

"Not sure, but the weather station said something about having a foot or so, but we'll wait and see. I'd still prefer you all stay here tonight in case the blizzard picks up later tonight."

"I happen to agree with Kyle, girls. What do you think?"

"That's fine with me," Velma said.

Daphne agreed, but felt disappointed that she didn't bring anything with her for this visit, but she didn't bother saying that out loud. When Shaggy was busy making hot chocolate for himself and the others, he saw that a minute or two later the power outage went out. Shaggy always was scared when something like this happens.

"Help! Somebody turn the lights back on!" Shaggy called from the kitchen.

Kyle entered the kitchen.

"Sorry, Shaggy. We can't turn the power back on. That comes on by itself. No telling when the power will be back on."

"But I'm afraid of power outages like this, Kyle. I feel that something bad could happen."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe a creepy monster blocking the house and not let the power come back."

"Don't be silly, Shaggy. Is the hot chocolate ready?"

"Coming right up!"

He appreciated having Kyle's help with t he hot chocolate.

"Thank you making the hot chocolate, Shaggy."

"You're welcome, Freddy."

Shaggy finished saying that when the blizzard started picking up. He hoped the blizzard wouldn't last long while he and his friends were staying with Kyle. Now was the time to keep his fingers crossed about mysteries and creepy monsters.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Shaggy woke up before his friends did. No matter how long this holiday would be, Shaggy told himself he'd keep his fingers crossed so there wouldn't be any creepy mysteries and monsters. He wished right now Scooby was here with them, but it just wasn't the same, but the vet gave orders that Scooby stay behind for this one time. He decided to save some Scooby Snacks for this vacation so it would remind him of Scooby. Fred watched him when they entered their room.

Daphne and Velma were already in the room next to them, but said not a word. Fred watched his friend.

"Why did you bring those for?" Fred asked, pointing at the Scooby Snacks.

"Since Scoob isn't here to share with me, I thought I'd bring them along for memory."

Fred shook his head.

"You can be strange sometimes, Shaggy. Right now is one of them. Let's get inside."

So Shaggy followed Fred inside.

"Freddy, I hope you're not thinking of running into some creepy mystery with monsters involved."

"What makes you say that, Shag?"

"No matter where we go, it's always something creepy until we have to get back home. That's why I bought these Scooby Snacks with me."

What Shaggy said was true. Once again all Fred could do was nod his head and said nothing.

Shaggy followed Fred into their room. Shaggy decided to take the first chair to put his bag on. Fred didn't do that, but he stopped watching Shaggy and decided to focus on unpacking. This would be something to share with Daphne and Velma, he told himself, but when Shaggy wasn't around, that would be the perfect time to do that. Even Velma and Daphne would agree with him.

Fred watched Shaggy for a few minutes longer.

"What are you doing now?" Fred asked.

"I'd like to know when we can eat. I'm hungry. Want me to text the girls and see what we can do for supper?"

"Food is all you think about, Shaggy. Let's just wait for a while longer and go from there."

"Okay, but you're taking all the fun out of it."

"Maybe to you, but not the girls and myself."

All Shaggy did was shake his head, but didn't want to get into any arguments about food with Fred, even if it meant they weren't hungry when he was.

"Freddy?"

"Yes, Shag?"

"I miss having Scooby around on this vacation. Don't you miss him too?"

"Sure we do, Shaggy. There'll be a lot of time to catch up with Scooby on what went on with this trip. You two always eat the strangest food sometimes."

This time Shaggy had to agree as usual.

"Scooby and I like strange, Freddy. It brings out more taste."

"Whatever."

Shaggy walked out of the room and decided to see if Velma was open to check out this hotel with him while Daphne and Fred took their sweet time on unpacking their things. He didn't want to waste anytime to send a text message to Velma since she was next to his room. All he did was walk over and knock.

"I'll get it," Shaggy heard Daphne say.

That's when she opened the door.

"Hi, Daphne."

"Hello, Shaggy. Why don't you come on in?"

"Thanks, Daph."

"Where's Fred?"

"He's still starting to unpack his things. I just thought I'd come over and see if you two were ready to do anything once you're through."

"Like what?" Daphne asked as he walked in and shut the door.

"Maybe check out this hotel for instance."

Velma joined them.

"Hi, Shaggy."

Shaggy watched as the girls thought about it.

"That's fine with me if you want to go, Velma."

"All right. I'll unpack when we finish wandering around."

Daphne shut the door behind them.

Fred didn't seem to pay much attention to notice that Shaggy left for next door, but he didn't seem to care either way, but did figure he was next door with the girls. At least it gave him more time to unpack without Shaggy around.

"What do you think of this hotel so far, Velma?"

"I won't know, Shaggy. We just got here, so it's hard to say what I think."

What Velma just told him was true, so he didn't bother to carry on an argument.

"Let me tell you something."

"What's that, Shag?"

"I just hope we don't run into any creepy mysteries or monsters. I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

"Shaggy, you say that every time we visit a place, and mysteries are happening all over the world right this minute."

"I know."

The two of them stayed silent the rest of the time during their walk around the hotel. At least it gave both of them time to spend alone without their friends, and that was a good sign.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Fred and Shaggy met the girls down in the lobby. The roads were closed, and they had no other choice except for the hotel, but it was better than nothing.

"Fred, aren't you going to call your friend?" Daphne asked as they finished grabbing their breakfast and sat down.

"I will, but today we can't go anywhere with all the snow," Fred answered.

Once again, Fred stood up and then went to find a copy of that day's newspaper. At least they were able to read the newspaper. Fred read the article to them about the weather that was happening.

"Listen to this, gang. Here's the headline:

ROADS CLOSED DUE TO STORM

In the last couple of days, we've had a horrible snowstorm. Roads are closed because of the storm and nobody is able to get out of town to do any skiing, shopping, visits to the library, grocery shopping, etc. Everyone will be stuck no matter where we are and there is not much of a choice on what we want to do during this snowstorm."

Fred continued to read the rest of the article to his friends. He didn't see anything in that paper's article that the telephones were still working or not, but it was worth a shot, but Fred's friend understood about this entire storm. Fred then put the paper back where he found it in case somebody else would be interested in reading about this storm.

Once finished eating, Fred got up to throw the plate and bowl in the garbage. He had Special K along with scrambled eggs and toast, and also a blueberry muffin. His friends had the same thing, but Shaggy was the only one who had everything that was there. Fred entered to the counter where there were a few clerks checking people in.

"Excuse me," Fred spoke up.

A young woman in her early twenties, wore glasses, the work uniform and had light blue eyes and light black hair.

"Yes, sir?"

Her name was Kelsey.

"Kelsey, are the telephones working due to this storm?"

"No."

Fred was disappointed to hear that.

"Would cell phones work?"

"I'm not sure, but I would like to think so. You're Fred Jones, right?"

"I am."

"It's nice meeting you."

"Same with you, Kelsey. Do you have any ideas when this storm would end? I'm supposed to visit a friend here, and now we have this storm. I'm sure he understands that we can't get out of the snowstorm to drive the van to his place."

"I'm sorry your visit here is ruined, Fred. I really can't guess myself when this storm would end, but let the snow tell us. How long are you and your friend staying here?"

"For a while."

"And the TV sets aren't working, so there will be no way for us to get updates on the news."

"Thanks for telling us, Kelsey. It was nice talking to you. I'll let you get back to work."

Then he rejoined his friends.

"Well, what did the clerk tell you, Freddy?" Daphne asked.

"That we're stuck here and the telephones aren't working, but she isn't sure if cell phones would be in service or not, but we'll give it a shot," Fred answered.

"Stuck here at the hotel with hardly any food to shop for. Just what we need is being stuck in a hotel," Shaggy complained.

"Don't complain, Shaggy. There is nothing we can do except to pray," Velma told him.

None of them ever used the words 'prayer' and 'religion,' but they didn't have much of a choice on this trip. The only thing to read in this hotel was the newspaper besides the Bible, but Velma came prepared as usual by bring a stack full of books, paperback, hardcover, used or new. She was welcome to share them with her friends. Shaggy never reads much, but he has no choice during this storm.

"Did you come prepared with something to read, Velma?" Daphne asked.

"You bet I did. I packed an entire bag of books in case something like this happened."

"Tell us the choices if we need something," Fred told her.

"I will when we get back to the rooms."

Velma was a big fan of books, so she would read almost everything that was published. She mostly read books than the newspaper, to tell the truth. Fred led the way back to their rooms when Velma got up from the table. If the elevator wasn't working, the gang thought it made sense to take the stairs in case, just to play safe.

None of them said a word when they reached their rooms. Fred was in charge of his key and Velma was with hers. Daphne was not trustworthy with keys since she can lose things sometimes, but mostly winds up in danger, so that's why she never held on to a key.

"Let me get a couple of things done, and I'll be ready," Fred said, thinking of brushing his teeth and taking some medication.

Fred was on medication for a couple of years now, since he had a couple of minor health issues, and thyroid was one of them. The rest of the time he is healthy, and has been responsible for keeping up with the sorting of medications every day. Since Shaggy has always been skinny, he is normal weight, from what Fred and the girls were told, so that was good news.

Fred also decided to take a shower. At least that would make him feel better and fresh.

"You can go with the girls if you want, Shaggy. You don't need to stay in our room and wait for me."

"Okay. I wasn't planning on coming back to our room."

After that, Fred was already gone. Shaggy let Daphne and Velma in their room. When he opened the door, they both thanked him, and then he slammed the door.

"I hate storms. I wish Scooby was here with us right now instead of being sick. I miss having him to warm me up."

When Shaggy said that, he felt shivers starting to appear.

"You do look cold, Shaggy. Want me to turn the heater on and see if that works?"

"It's worth a shot, but if it doesn't work, then we have no other choice. Why did we come to this town that has a severe snowstorm and nothing to do?"

Velma didn't know how to answer his question, so all she did was turn the heater up. Pretty soon the maid would be here to clean their rooms up to make them neater.

Several minutes later, a maid came close to their rooms, but she ended up going to Velma and Daphne's room first. Fred was already out of the shower, and now was drying himself off before blow – drying his hair and combing his hair a second time. It did give him a few more minutes to get dressed again and then the maid would be ready. He wasn't so sure if the maid was with Shaggy and the girls or not, but he was pretty sure she was. He thought that Kelsey at the front desk sounded friendly when he asked about service. At least she sounded honest about it, and that was a good thing. He somehow thought to himself that there was no way of knowing how much longer this storm would last, but like Velma said earlier, all they could do was pray. At least she was right about something.

He slammed his door when he saw his friends standing outside. He joined them.

"I had that feeling the maid would be here. I hope I got here on time," Fred said.

"You did. You look nice," Velma told him.

"Thank you, Velma. We'll go through your bag of books when the maid leaves our rooms," Fred replied.

Even Daphne and Shaggy seemed to agree, but none of them said a word, so all they did was nod in agreement. It took the maid several minutes to work on Fred and Shaggy's room, but they were in no hurry to go back. No telling how much time they would be with Velma and Daphne in their room, but it looks to be for several hours to all day and night.

"So you don't want to try using the cell phone and see if your friend will know we're here safe and sound?" Velma asked.

"I've thought of that myself, but I don't want to risk the chance if the cell phones are out of service."

"Good thinking, Fred."

At least Shaggy was there who agreed with him.

And now nobody said anything for a while, but all they did was wait while Velma found her bag of books. It would take forever to go through all of the titles, but she could read all of them if she wanted to, Fred told himself.

They listened to the vacuum in their room next door, so it was hard to hear Velma while she read the titles. It took Velma a long time to go through the titles, but not one of them sounded interesting enough to the gang at the moment, but oh well. At least it would be entertainment in most of those books when there's nothing else to do, Fred told himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Note: I've decided this would be a good stopping place. I'll have the next chapter with Fred and his friends spending the evening with Ken. Enjoy!

The next few days or so, the snow had stopped for a while, but there was no telling how much longer it will be snowing. The roads were clear now, and guests were able to leave. On that Thursday afternoon, the sun was coming out.

"Finally! You can make your phone call now, Fred. Or do you want to wait a while longer?" Shaggy asked.

"I'll go call him now. I hope he's home so we can get a chance to catch up."

"Daph, what do you think of the snow slowing down?" Shaggy asked.

"It's great, but it was quite a storm. Where is your jacket, Shaggy?"

"I think I forgot to bring it in. Would you like to go to the Mystery Machine and give it to me? I don't want to freeze while outside."

That made sense, Velma told herself.

"I'll go get it. Is there anything you need from the Mystery Machine, Velma?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

So Daphne was able to collect the keys from one of the drawers. They usually leave the keys out instead of putting them somewhere else.

"If Fred wants to know where I am if I'm not back, you can tell him I went to get something from the Mystery Machine."

"All right. Be careful, though," Velma told her.

"I'll do my best."

Then Shaggy and Velma watched Daphne slam the door behind herself.

A minute or two later, Fred returned. He saw Daphne wasn't with his friends.

"Where did Daphne go?" Fred asked.

"She went to get my jacket from the Mystery Machine," Shaggy answered.

"Okay."

"What did your friend say, Fred?" Velma asked.

"I'll wait to tell you all when Daphne gets back."

Velma and Shaggy didn't bother saying anything after that. Then Daphne returned a minute or two later. Once she let herself into the room, she handed Shaggy his jacket.

"Thanks, Daphne," Shaggy said as he put his jacket on.

The jacket was getting old, so maybe Shaggy could do some shopping while they were here to see Fred's friend. His friend's name happened to be Ken. This wasn't the first time Daphne and his friends had met Ken, but they liked him.

"Was Ken around when you called him, Freddy?"

"He was, Shaggy. He's happy now that the storm is slowing down and people can go where they need to go, even if that means shopping for food."

"You just said the magic word, Fred. You shouldn't have said that in front of Shaggy."

That's when Shaggy was licking his lips.

"Now you're giving me an idea about food, but I know we don't have any food left in the Mystery Machine."

"Shaggy, all you think about is food. Think of something else," Velma told him.

"What can I think of if it's not food?"

Shaggy already knew the answer, but he asked the question anyway.

"Visiting Ken."

"He's Fred's friend. Why would I want to think about seeing him?"

"Shaggy, that isn't very polite. If Ken was with us right now and he heard you say that, you would've hurt his feelings."

"Sorry, Fred."

"That's okay, Shaggy. Here's the plan. We will meet Ken outside his business at lunchtime and then he will have some time off from lunch to talk with us. We are going to have supper at his house. Maybe we can watch a movie or play a game or whatever," Fred said.

"That could work. Besides, we've been stuck here in the hotel so now we can get some fresh air," Velma said.

"I agree with Velma," Daphne said.

"Reading all of those books we read were boring to me, and now we finally get to do something else."

Shaggy was never a big fan of books, but he mostly enjoyed food.

"What time is Ken's lunch hour?" Velma asked.

"Ten to twenty minutes. He gets to start at twelve, so that would give us enough time to drive there."

"What does Ken do?"

"He owns a bookstore, but it's mostly used books."

"It's a good thing he's been successful after all of these years."

Fred nodded.

"We'll be leaving in an hour or so."

Daphne took a look at the time. Fred was right – lunchtime was only an hour away.

"I guess that means I don't have enough time to get dressed up."

"Daphne, don't make a big deal out of it. You can skip for once."

That was Velma speaking. Unlike Shaggy loving food, Daphne has always loved fashion and tries to keep up with the newest styles. The hour was almost gone, but Fred and his friends went to the Mystery Machine fifteen minutes after eleven. Fred wanted to get there early so they could wait for Ken to join them, even if it meant he had lunch at noon.

"Why don't we browse the books Ken has in his store until he's ready to have the time off?"

"We can do that, Velma. It'll make the time go faster. Anyway, there's not much else we can do until twelve."

Fred and his friends arrived early to the bookstore. The name of the store was Used Books Only. Then he and his friends walked inside the building after he parked the Mystery Machine and locked the van.

Ken looked busy when he saw Fred walk in, but all he could do right now was wave to them. Fred waved back.

"You can go ahead and look around, Velma. You can buy some books if you want."

"I plan to do that, Freddy."

So Fred and the others watched her disappear to one of the bookshelves.

Waiting for a few more minutes, Fred walked around after splitting up with Daphne and Shaggy. He decided to check out the useless junk Ken had here in the store. He looked around and found he had old records and also CDs. Fred wasn't a big fan of old records, but he was more up – to – date on CDs instead. He went through most of the names, but a lot of them weren't familiar.

Fred looked at his watch several minutes later: 11:45 AM. Ken should have fifteen more minutes of work and then they could visit. He'd known Ken for about fifteen years and they had become good friends. It isn't often they talk.

Fifteen minutes later, Velma rejoined her friends and had a handful of books in her arms.

"That's a lot of books you have, Velma. Need any help?" Daphne asked.

"Please."

Then Ken watched them head over to the counter and help Velma and Daphne put the books so Velma could pay.

"Hi, Fred."

Fred looked at Ken. He was in his mid – thirties, had dark red hair and light blue eyes, and like Velma, he wore glasses. No, Ken isn't married. At least Ken didn't have to worry about a wife and children.

"Mind if we eat inside? It's still cold out there," Shaggy said.

"That's fine, Shaggy. I normally don't eat outside in weather like this."

Ken just finished putting Velma's books into a third bag. She chose about almost twenty novels.

"You have a lot of bags to carry, Velma. These books haven't been sitting here in the store for long. I've had them for about three months."

So they sat down on the floor by the clothes. This was usually where Ken takes his breaks, Fred learned.

Ken had about thirty minutes' worth of free time, so he was happy he had company to join him this time.

"How was business during the storm?" Fred asked.

"It was slow, but since I couldn't go home or anywhere else, I had the place to myself and listen to music and read books until a day or two ago when the snow stopped. I'll be happy to get out of these clothes when I get home."

"I would too if I had to work in a store like this," Shaggy said as he took a handful of potato chips.

"At least you're busy again and that's a very good sign."

"I know, Velma. Thanks for stopping by to see me. It's been what, ten years?"

"Ten years sounds correct to me," Fred agreed.

For almost the entire thirty minutes, Ken and the gang were able to catch up on the mysteries they have solved within the past ten years. Ken found the stories entertaining, so Fred and his friends did most of the talking. Ken looked at his watch.

"I think we'd better split up now. It's time for me to get back to work. It's nice seeing you again, Freddy. I'll see you all at five – thirty."

Ken lived in an apartment building that was about fifteen minutes away from his store. Then Shaggy and Daphne helped carry the bags of books Velma recently purchased. After that, they drove around town for a while. Then they decided to see a movie to pass the time, and it was more of a humorous movie this time. The movie began at four o'clock, so it gave them plenty of time to get to Ken's apartment after the movie finished at five. The gang laughed at the movie most of the time, which was a good thing. Then five o'clock came and they left the movie theater and then it was time to pay a visit to Ken's apartment.


	6. Chapter 6

About half an hour later, Ken heard a car park. He looked outside the window. It was Fred and his friends. He'd met Fred's friends before, but he didn't know them very well, but this vacation would be a good idea to know them a bit better. So he walked outside with his winter jacket on.

"Hi, Fred."

"Hey, Ken."

"Do you need any help with anything?" Ken asked.

"We're fine. Thanks for the offer."

"He was just trying to help, Fred," Velma told him.

"I know. He's been doing that since we first met and became friends. Right, Ken?"

"Right."

So Fred and his friends followed Ken back to the apartment after Fred locked the doors of the van.

"This is a really cold season now," Ken told his guests.

"No kidding," Daphne said as she breathed some air.

"It's freezing out here. Can we hurry up faster?" Daphne asked.

She did have gloves on, but somehow it isn't doing the job for her this time.

"We're not that much further, Daph. Just a few more rooms in this building and we'll be inside," Fred assured her.

"I hope so. What is the temperature out here at the moment, Ken?" Daphne asked.

"Twenty – four degrees," he answered.

"No wonder it's freezing out here. Hurry up so we can get inside."

"Daph, like I said before, we're almost to Ken's apartment. Maybe we can sit by the fire and drink hot chocolate."

Shaggy started licking his lips.

"You just said the magic word, Fred. You know how Shaggy is when it comes to food."

"Doesn't surprise me. Ken, just to warn you, Shaggy eats a lot of food, so beware if he eats almost everything in your kitchen."

"Thanks for warning me, Fred. Yes, I do have some chocolate but this is the last until I stop at the grocery store again."

Then Ken and his friends finally made it to his apartment. Once he opened the door, everyone walked in quickly and didn't say thank you right away. Fred did notice Ken's apartment hadn't changed much since the last time he was here.

Once Ken slammed the door behind Fred and his friends, Shaggy asked, "Will you please turn the fire on?"

"Sure."

Even Fred and the girls agreed, but it was mostly Fred that noticed his friend didn't have the fire on.

"Would you like me to put the fire on, Ken? I wouldn't mind," Fred said.

"Sure. That's fine with me. I'll make the hot chocolate while you get warmed up."

Fred and his friends still had their jackets on, but they didn't bother taking them off to hang the jackets up.

"You can take your jackets off if you want."

"Thanks, Ken. I think we'll keep our jackets on," Shaggy said as he joined Ken into the kitchen.

"I understand if you don't want to take your jackets off. I had mine on all morning until about one o'clock this afternoon."

At least he wasn't the only one with a jacket on for most of the day, Velma told herself, so we understand.

For a few hours, Ken and his friends had a chance to catch up on the mysteries they have solved since their last visit with him and he did find the mysteries very entertaining. He'd never been a fan of mystery novels, but he mostly followed Fred and his friends when they had several mysteries, but that was about it. He normally doesn't pay much attention to the news when the media talks about how they solved those mysteries. He normally doesn't watch the news on television every day, but he does when he gets the chance. He mostly keeps up with the newspaper more than television.

So Fred and his friends didn't spend the night in Ken's apartment because he didn't have any rooms to let them spend the night, so it was back to the hotel.

"I enjoyed your company today, Fred. If I were you, I'd start driving home in the next day or two since I had heard the weather is going to pick up more snow, and I don't want you all to go without electricity while driving that van of yours."

"Thanks for the warning, Ken. I think we'll be fine driving home. We don't use electricity much while in the Mystery Machine. I'll call you once we get back home."

"Okay. Sounds like a good idea to me. Be safe."

"Thanks. It was nice seeing you again, Ken."

"Same with you, Fred."

It was about seven o'clock that evening when Fred, Shaggy, Daphne and Velma left Ken's apartment. Everyone enjoyed the hot chocolate Ken made. As usual, Shaggy was the one who finished the leftover hot chocolate that was left over.

"That was a nice visit, Fred. Ken seems like a really nice guy."

"You bet he is, Velma. At least you had the chance to know him a bit better."

Then Fred unlocked the door where he and Shaggy were sharing while Velma did the same.

"Sleep tight, girls."

"Same to you."

Then that was the last time he and Shaggy saw Velma and Daphne.

"Sleep well, Fred."

"Thanks. Same to you."

"I'll try."


	7. Chapter 7

Fred and his friends decided to stay for another day or so. Since it was snowing a lot, Fred decided it was a good idea to leave Ken's apartment and head to the hotel to pack their things and drive back home. It's usually always a good idea to leave early if there's a storm coming ahead.

Ken enjoyed his friends' visit. At least this was the first meeting he had with Shaggy, Velma and Daphne, he thought it was a good first meeting Fred's friends. As Fred and his friends began to stand up from the couch in Ken's living room, Fred said, "It was nice seeing you again, Ken. We did enjoy this short visit. It looks like another storm is on the way. We don't want to get stuck in the storm on the way home."

"I enjoyed meeting you all," Ken said, looking at Shaggy, Daphne, and Velma.

"It was nice meeting you also, Ken. Sometimes Fred almost always talks about you."

"Is that true what Shaggy just said, Fred?"

"Yes."

"I like hearing things like that. At least I'm not forgotten about in conversations."

Fred didn't respond to that. When Ken finished saying that, Fred and his friends walked to the closet where Ken showed where they could put their coats. After Fred put his jacket on, he grabbed the keys of the Mystery Machine.

"Will you call when you get back home?" Ken asked, looking at Fred.

"I will do my best, Ken. It was a nice short visit.

Even Shaggy and the girls nodded, agreeing this was a nice visit, even with all the snow.

"That makes sense to leave before a crazy snowstorm like this comes back in," Velma said.

Even Daphne nodded, telling Ken she agreed it was time to head back. Ken offered to walk his friends to the door and made sure his friends left safely. Fred was telling the truth: the clouds once again looked like they were having another huge storm. Ken did have plenty of food left, so there was no need to run any errands. He stayed by the window and watched to make sure Fred left safely. He usually always tried to do this every time he had a friend or relative visit. When the Mystery Machine pulled out of the driveway, Ken gave out a sigh of relief. He hoped his friends had a safe drive home.

Several hours after leaving the hotel, Fred and his friends stopped at a nearby gas station to take a break and do what they need – use the restroom or buy a snack. As usual, Shaggy bought a few snacks, so the gang wasn't surprised since Shaggy does this all the time. Shaggy bought his favorites: Snickers, Three Musketeers, peanut M&M's, licorice, etc.

"Shaggy, don't you have enough?" Velma asked.

"No, Velma. Since this will be a long ride home before the snowstorm comes around, I like to have a lot in case of emergencies."

Velma shook her head. Shaggy had said this often, so there was no surprise at that comment.

Fred was the first one to hop into the Mystery Machine. When his friends appeared in the Mystery Machine, they all put their seatbelts on and then Fred immediately drove away from the gas station.

"Can we listen to some music, Fred? It's really quiet in here."

"Sure, Daph. What type of music do you want?"

"Whatever's on the radio," was her answer.

So Fred flipped through all the music stations and finally came up with one. The song that was playing was a Johnny Cash song, which was "Ring of Fire." That was one of his popular songs. It isn't often the gang listens to country music, but they knew little about Johnny Cash.

Velma looked at the clock on the dashboard: 3:52 PM.

"It can't be right. 3:52? I thought it was earlier than that," Velma said.

Even Fred and Daphne looked at the clock as well.

"That doesn't make sense," Fred agreed.

Shaggy didn't say anything because he had peanut M&M's in his mouth.

When he finished eating, Shaggy said, "Too bad Scooby isn't here with us. I would've shared my candy with him. I miss my pal."

"Sorry we can't help you there, Shaggy. I'm sure we'll be able to see Scooby when we return."

"I'm not sure about that, Daphne. This trip wasn't the same without him around."

Whenever Scooby stays behind on a trip like this, Shaggy always felt lonely and didn't do much on a vacation like this. Scooby already knew that, and yes, he was lonely without Shaggy as well. The gang made it home safely, but it was almost eleven o'clock when they pulled in the driveway. Everyone was sleeping except for Fred because he was the only one driving. At least he can go to bed when they get in. All of this driving made Fred tired.

The next day, the gang woke up about nine o'clock in the morning. Fred was up by then, so he was the first to wake up. Fred wasn't so sure if Ken was up by now or if the storm has already arrived, he didn't bother because he wasn't so sure about the telephone system. He did promise Ken he would call when they first arrived home. It didn't hurt to try calling him, Fred told himself. That's what he just did. He dialed Ken's number. The phones weren't working. Must've been the storm, Fred told himself. We'll talk another time.


End file.
